Crystal Palace vs Manchester United Betting Preview: Aimless Eagles to be exposed

HARLEY DALE (@HarIeeyy) is here to share his research and best bets ahead of Manchester United's match-up with Crystal Palace on Thursday night.

Crystal Palace vs Manchester United | Thursday 16th July 2020, 20:15 | BT Sport

Manchester United travel to Selhurst Park on Thursday night and will be looking to get back to winning ways after picking up a disappointing point at Old Trafford on Monday night.

The Red Devils had a golden opportunity to put themselves in pole position for a Champions League place but came up short at home against an impressive Southampton side who, quite frankly, deserved to grab a late equaliser to conclude the match 2-2.

Despite this, United fans should be pleased with their team’s form – picking up 14 of a possible 18 points post-lockdown, and since the arrival of Bruno Fernandes, they are yet to lose a match in all competitions, dating back to January.

The midfield maestro has sparked the team to life and has already contributed seven goals and seven assists in his 11 Premier League appearances and with the return of Paul Pogba, this Man United side are looking the best we’ve seen for quite a while.

Crystal Palace are also looking to turn things around after suffering a disappointing 2-0 loss to Aston Villa – although this seems to be a trend for Roy Hodgson’s men, losing five of their six matches since the restart. Which makes you question the Eagles motivations for their remaining games…

After solidifying a place in the Premier League next season, Palace's recent performances have indicated a lack of determination and willingness to secure any sort of positive result – and they will need to be at their very best if they want to pick up at least a point against a United side who have big incentives to get the crucial three points.

The Eagles have failed to score in four of their last five league matches as well as losing 10 of their 13 games against sides in the top-eight, winning just the one. That one victory came against United in the reverse fixture, albeit an out-of-form Red Devils team that had a plethora of problems back in August.

However, given the gulf in class between the two sides, current form and the motivational factors to grind out a result, you can’t help but feel Palace will come up short. The visitors have started brightly in their matches since the restart, leading at half-time in five of those six games, and a fast start could be key.

Graeme Scott is the man in the middle for this crucial clash, who has dished out a card to the away side in 19 of the last 20 matches in all competitions. In addition to this, Ole Gunnar Solksjaer’s men have picked up at least one card in 16 of their 17 away league matches this season. Given the importance of this fixture for his side and the presence of tricky winger Wilfred Zaha, I see no reason why this trend wont continue.

Therefore, my play is Man Utd HT-FT & Over 0 United Cards at 6/4 (Bet365).